Thibodaux Police chief to contribute to national research

Published: Friday, April 26, 2013 at 9:48 p.m.

Last Modified: Friday, April 26, 2013 at 9:48 p.m.

Thibodaux Police Chief Scott Silverii is a perfect fit for a Washington, D.C.-based think tank about police work, according to its president.

Silverii, who will continue being police chief, is now an executive fellow for the Police Foundation and will serve as an adviser to the researchers who publish scholarly articles, do experiments and track data related to policing, President Jim Bueermann said.

“Our research has to square with the realities that police officers face every day,” said Bueermann, who is the former Redlands, Calif., police chief. “He kind of has a foot in both worlds, the policing world and the academic world.”

Silverii, who has a Ph.D. in urban studies from the University of New Orleans, does similar work for the research advisory committee of the International Association of Chiefs of Police and helps improve the data collection process for the National Institute of Justice. His degree specializes in cultural anthropology.

The chief accepted the position after Bueermann sought him out, Bueermann said.

“The first draw was just, simply, Scott: He is a very thoughtful, dedicated police chief who has a national reputation,” Bueermann said.

The position is not paid, and he has not yet begun doing work for the foundation, Silverii said.

Bueermann said he doesn't plan to take the chief away from his job.

“All of our executive fellows are current or retired police chiefs or sheriffs or policing organization executives. They're sprinkled all over the country. The model we use is not to disrupt them from their current jobs,” Bueermann said. “His primary job is to be the police chief in the community. We believe there's a way to balance his job and contribute insight to what we're doing.”

Silverii may represent the foundation in future meetings and conferences. But most of his work, which involves consulting, can be done without traveling because “what is most valuable about him is his mind, what he thinks of our observations,” Bueermann said.

The Thibodaux chief is one of seven executive fellows for the foundation. Others include Rick Braziel, the retired chief of police at the Sacramento (Calif.) Police Department, and Ellen Scrivner, the former deputy director of the U.S. National Institute of Justice.

Silverii, laughing, said he looks at the list of fellows and thinks, “What am I doing here?”

When Silverii became police chief in 2011, he began scheduling officers' patrols based on where and when crimes and traffic offenses occurred in the city. Such “data-driven policing” is close to his heart, and he said he's most interested in contributing to that kind of research.

“Also, public perception,” Silverii said. “I'm a student of culture — the culture of policing, the perception the public has of law enforcement. That is a lot of what their research is based on. We may think we're doing a good job, but what is the public's perception?”

Staff Writer Katie Urbaszewski can be reached at 448-7617 or katie.urbaszewski@dailycomet.com.

<p>Thibodaux Police Chief Scott Silverii is a perfect fit for a Washington, D.C.-based think tank about police work, according to its president.</p><p>Silverii, who will continue being police chief, is now an executive fellow for the Police Foundation and will serve as an adviser to the researchers who publish scholarly articles, do experiments and track data related to policing, President Jim Bueermann said.</p><p>“Our research has to square with the realities that police officers face every day,” said Bueermann, who is the former Redlands, Calif., police chief. “He kind of has a foot in both worlds, the policing world and the academic world.”</p><p>Silverii, who has a Ph.D. in urban studies from the University of New Orleans, does similar work for the research advisory committee of the International Association of Chiefs of Police and helps improve the data collection process for the National Institute of Justice. His degree specializes in cultural anthropology.</p><p>The chief accepted the position after Bueermann sought him out, Bueermann said.</p><p>“The first draw was just, simply, Scott: He is a very thoughtful, dedicated police chief who has a national reputation,” Bueermann said.</p><p>The position is not paid, and he has not yet begun doing work for the foundation, Silverii said. </p><p>Bueermann said he doesn't plan to take the chief away from his job.</p><p>“All of our executive fellows are current or retired police chiefs or sheriffs or policing organization executives. They're sprinkled all over the country. The model we use is not to disrupt them from their current jobs,” Bueermann said. “His primary job is to be the police chief in the community. We believe there's a way to balance his job and contribute insight to what we're doing.”</p><p>Silverii may represent the foundation in future meetings and conferences. But most of his work, which involves consulting, can be done without traveling because “what is most valuable about him is his mind, what he thinks of our observations,” Bueermann said.</p><p>The Thibodaux chief is one of seven executive fellows for the foundation. Others include Rick Braziel, the retired chief of police at the Sacramento (Calif.) Police Department, and Ellen Scrivner, the former deputy director of the U.S. National Institute of Justice.</p><p>Silverii, laughing, said he looks at the list of fellows and thinks, “What am I doing here?”</p><p>When Silverii became police chief in 2011, he began scheduling officers' patrols based on where and when crimes and traffic offenses occurred in the city. Such “data-driven policing” is close to his heart, and he said he's most interested in contributing to that kind of research.</p><p>“Also, public perception,” Silverii said. “I'm a student of culture — the culture of policing, the perception the public has of law enforcement. That is a lot of what their research is based on. We may think we're doing a good job, but what is the public's perception?”</p><p>Staff Writer Katie Urbaszewski can be reached at 448-7617 or katie.urbaszewski@dailycomet.com.</p>